Nasal strip having end tabs to enhance the removal of the nasal strip from the user&#39;s nose

ABSTRACT

A nasal strip for opening nasal passageways having an external portion formed from a plastic material that extends throughout the length of the nasal strip. The external portion has a central section and opposing end sections with the central section having the same or a smaller width as compared to the nasal strip width at each end section. An adhesive coating covers each of the end sections and the central section does not have an adhesive coating. A non-adhesive tab extending from either or both end sections provides a novel means for the easy removal of the nasal strip from the user&#39;s nose.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/929,577 filed on 2 Nov. 2015, now Pending, whichis a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Pat. No. 9,204,988, issued on Dec. 8,2015.

FIELD OF USE

This invention is in the field of devices to improve the opening of thenasal passageways.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to use adhesive strips attached to the skin across theoutside of the nose to improve the opening of the nasal passageways,particularly during sleep. One example of such a device is the BreatheRight® nasal strip which is a product of GlaxoSmithKline. However, thatdevice has the disadvantage of only applying a moderate torque foropening the nasal passage and also, the adhesive attachment to the skinis so strong that there is some discomfort when that nasal strip isremoved from the nose. Still further, there is sometimes an irritationof the skin on the nose when this nasal strip is repeatedly used for anumber of consecutive days or nights.

Therefore, any nasal strip that could have: 1) more torque applied toopen the nasal passageway, 2) less discomfort when the nasal strip isremoved, 3) easier means for holding the nasal strip for placement ontothe nose, 4) a tab at each end of the nose strip that is free ofadhesive to make it easier to remove the nasal strip from that person'snose and 5) a decrease in the area of the skin that could be irritatedby the adhesive attached to the skin would all constitute improvementsin the design of such devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a novel and useful means to improve thecharacteristics of nasal strips by the placement of a non-adhesivecentral portion situated between the two adhesive end sections of thenasal strip. For example, a thin plastic covering over the adhesivesurface of the central portion of a nasal strip or merely theelimination of an adhesive on the central portion of the nasal strip canprovide four advantages of: (1) more torque obtained to open the nasalpassageway, (2) less discomfort on removal of the nasal strip, (3)easier means for placement of the nasal strip onto the nose and, (4)less area of the skin on the nose that can be irritated by the adhesiveinterior surface of the nasal strip. Another means to improve thelifting torque of a nasal strip is to have a central portion of thenasal strip that is as wide as the end sections of the nasal strip,without any adhesive on that central portion.

Thus one object of the present invention is to increase the torqueapplied by a nasal strip to improve the opening of the nasalpassageways.

Another object of this invention is to decrease the user's discomfortwhen removing the nasal strip from his/her nose.

Still another object of this invention is to have a central region ofthe nasal strip that does not have an adhesive surface so that it ismore easily held when placing the nasal strip onto the nose.

Still another object of this invention is decrease the area of the skinthat can be irritated by the application of the nasal strip for manyhours, particularly during sleep.

Still another object of this invention is to gain additional liftingtoque for the side portions of the nose by having a central portion ofthe nasal strip that is as wide as the end sections of the nasal stripwhich is an advantage compared to all existing nasal strips that have anarrow central portion so as to decrease the irritation of the bridge ofthe nose.

Still another advantage of this invention is to have adhesive-free tabsattached to the ends of the nasal strip end sections to provide aneasier means for removing the nasal strip from the user's nose.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will becomeobvious to a person of ordinary skill in this art upon reading thedetailed description of this invention including the associated drawingsas presented herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a prior art nasal strip.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the nasal strip at section “2-2” of FIG. 1showing the positions of the adhesive surfaces and the plastic backingof the prior art nasal strip.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a nasal strip showing a non-adhesive coveringof the central portion of the nasal strip.

FIG. 4 is a cross section at “4-4” of FIG. 3 showing a plastic coveringover the adhesive surface at the central portion of the improved nasalstrip.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a non-adhesive tab member attached to the outerboundary of a right section and/or a left section of the nasal strip.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a nasal strip that has a central portion thathas a width substantially equal to the end sections of the nasal strip.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of the nasal strip of FIG. 6 showing thedetails of the subject nasal strip tab for easy removal of the nasalstrip from the person's nose.

FIG. 8 is a partial top view of a nasal strip having a semi-annular tabmounted at either or both ends of the nasal strip for easy removal ofthe nasal strip from a user's nose.

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the partial nasal strip of FIG. 8 showingadditional details of the semi-annular tab that extends from either orboth ends of the nasal strip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical prior art nasal strip 10 that is usedto provide improved openings of the nasal passageways particularlyduring sleep. The nasal strip 10 has a central portion 11, a rightsection 12R, and a left section 12L. A typical nasal strip 10 has alength “L” that is approximately 6 cm and a maximum width “W” that isapproximately 2 cm with a length of the central portion 11 being about2.5 cm.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the nasal strip 10 at section “2-2” ofFIG. 1. The central portion 11 of the nasal strip 10 would have a backportion 11B and an interior surface that would have an adhesive covering11A. The right section 12R would have a back portion 12B and an interioradhesive covering 12A. The entire external portion of the nasal strip 10would be formed from a flexible plastic material like that used for skinbandages. The entire interior surface of the nasal strip 10 would havean adhesive covering so that it would adhere to all parts of the skin onthe nose onto which it would be placed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a nasal strip 20 that is an improved device toprovide an opening of the nasal passageways particularly during sleep.The nasal strip 20 has a central portion 21 that has an interiorcovering 23, a right section 22R, and a left section 22L. This nasalstrip 20 would also have a length that is approximately 6 cm, a maximumwidth “W” that is approximately 2 cm, and a length of the centralportion 21 that is approximately 2.5 cm. The central portion 21 isdevoid of any adhesive.

FIG. 4 is a cross section of the nasal strip 20 at section “4-4” of FIG.3. The central portion 21 of the nasal strip 20 would have a backportion 21B and its central portion 21 would have a centrally locatedadhesive covering 21A onto which the interior covering 23 is attached.The right section 22R would have a back portion 22B and an interioradhesive covering 22A. The entire external portion of the nasal strip 10would be formed from a flexible plastic material like that used for skinbandages. Unlike the prior art design as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, theinterior surface of the nasal strip 20 would not have an adhesivecovering throughout its entire interior surface. For this improveddesign of the nasal strip 20, the central portion 21 would have theplastic covering 23 on its interior surface as is shown in FIGS. 3 and4. This plastic covering 23 would adhere to the adhesive covering 21A ofthe central portion 21 of the nasal strip 20. It should also beunderstood that the present invention includes the concept ofeliminating the coating on the central portion 21 without having theinterior covering 23. This alternative design would provide severaladvantages of the present invention but not the increased torque that isa feature of the design of FIGS. 3 and 4.

There are four improvements in the design of the nasal strip 20 of FIGS.3 and 4 as compared to the prior art nasal strip 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2.Firstly, the covering 23 on the interior surface of the central portion21, increases the thickness of the central portion 21. This increasedthickness of the central portion 21 provides some additional torquesplaced upon the left section 22L and the right section 22R when they arebent around the bridge of the nose and adhesively attached onto thesides of the nose. This increased torque is directly a result of theincreased thickness of the central portion 21 of the nasal strip 20 andthe absence of any adhesive on the interior surface of that centralportion 21. This design provides the additional torque when the nasalstrip 20 is bent around the bridge of the nose. This increased torquecan provide increased openings of the left and right nasal passageways.Secondly, there is reduced discomfort upon removal of the improveddesign of the nasal strip 20 when it is taken off a person's nose. Thisis because the strongest adhesion of a nasal strip is at the center ofthe nose due to the fact there is typically less oil on that surface ofthe skin as compared to some oiliness that does typically occur at theside of a person's nose. Additionally, the fact that there is less ofthe skin of the nose that is covered with an adhesive automaticallymakes the improved nasal strip 20 removable with less discomfort.Thirdly, it is awkward to accurately place the nasal strip 10 onto thenose because it has an adhesive placed onto it entire interior surface.With the covering 23 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is much easier tohold onto the nasal strip 20 in a region where there is no adhesive,namely, the central portion 21 for more accurate placement of the nasalstrip 20 onto the skin of the nose. Fourthly, to have less area of theskin on the nose that is covered with an adhesive dictates that anyinflammatory skin response to that adhesive would be reduced.

In light of this analysis, it has been shown that the novel and usefulnasal strip 20 as described herein would have superior characteristicsas compared to a prior art nasal strip 10 that is now being marketed inmany countries. It should also be understood that the present inventionenvisages a central portion that does not have an adhesive surface withonly the end sections having those interior adhesive surfaces. Thisdesign can be accomplished without the plastic covering 23 as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 as long as no adhesive coating is placed onto the centralportion 21.

FIG. 5 shows the nasal strip or nasal dilator 20A with additionalnon-adhesive tabs 30 attached to outer boundaries 35L and/or 35R. of theleft section 22L and the right section 22R. The tabs(s) 30 may beattached to any part of boundaries 35L and 35R and may even be securedto central portion 21 to aid a user in removal of the nasal dilator 20from the user's nose after application. For purposes of illustration,two tabs 30 are shown in FIG. 5. However it is to be understood thatonly one tab 30 may be used with relation to the improved nasal dilatorshown in FIG. 5.

Tabs 30 may be formed of a flexible composition such as plastic ortextile material which permits the user to grasp the tab 30 for aidingthe user to readily remove the nasal dilator 20A from the user's nosewith a minimal amount of discomfort. Still further, either or both tabs30 may be formed integral with the left section 32L and/or the rightsection 32R

The particular placement of tab 30 on the outer boundary 35L or 35Rand/or the central portion 21 is not important to the inventive conceptas long as the tab 30 extends external to the outer edges of the nasaldilator 20A.

FIGS. 6 and 7 constitute further improvements in the design of nasalstrips. Specifically, FIG. 6 is a plan view of an improved nasal strip40 that has conventional end sections 42L and 42R but has theimprovements of a wide central section 41 that is free of any adhesiveand lifting tabs 43 at each end of the nasal strip 40 for easy removalof the nasal strip 40 from that person's nose. There is no knowncommercially available nasal strip from any manufacturer that has acentral section that is the same width as the end sections of that nasalstrip. The advantages of the wider central section 41 with respect toknown prior art are that it is easier to place onto and remove from thenose compared to a narrow central section and it provides an additionallifting torque for the end sections 42L and 42R. Specifically, the nasalstrip 40 of FIG. 6 is entirely different from a conventional skinbandage in that the central section provides a lifting torque of a least0.1 inch-ounces onto the end sections 42L and 42R so as to produce anincreased opening of the nasal passageways to improve breathing. Thisminimum torque can be created by using a thicker plastic for the nasalstrip 40 as compared to a simple bandage or by creating multiple ridgesalong the length of the nasal strip 40 that could also act to increasethe lifting torque for this product. Prior nasal strip designs alwaysused narrow central sections to decrease the area of adhesive thatsticks to the bridge of the nose to reduce the pain when lifting thenasal strip off of the nose, and also, the reduced area of a narrowcentral section limits the irritation of the skin that would occur onthe bridge of the nose if a wider central section with adhesive wasused. By eliminating the adhesive on the central section 41 of the nasalstrip 40 and by providing a center section 41 that has the design toprovide a lifting torque of at least 0.1 inch-ounces onto the endsection 42L and 42R, this design provides the advantages of easierplacement onto the nose, easier removal from the nose without pain orskin irritation, and due to the absence of adhesive on that centralsection 41, and because of it being wider and typically thicker plasticdesign, it provides additional lifting torque onto the end sections 42Land 42R to better open the nasal passages. Another advantage of thedesign of the nasal strip 40 of FIG. 6 is the center mark (or centerhole) 44 that is a place for the user of this device to place his/herfingers to center that mark at the center of the bridge of the nose sothat the left end section 42L and the right end section 42R will each beoptimally placed onto the sides of the nose to maximize the opening ofeach nostril.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show two end tabs 43 attached to the external boundary 45of the end sections 42L and 42R of the nasal strip 40. These end tabs 43provide the advantage of making it easier to remove that nasal strip 40from the nose. FIG. 7 shows the central section 41 (without anyadhesive) and the end section 42R with an adhesive 42RA on itsunderside. FIG. 7 also shows that the tab 43 makes an angle “a” with thegeneral plane of the nasal strip 40. The angle “a” could be anywherebetween zero degrees to as high as 90 degrees with the optimum anglebeing approximately 30±20 degrees. By protruding away from the skin, thetab 43 is much easier for the person using the nasal strip 40 to pullthat nasal strip 40 off from his/her skin. There is no existing nasalstrip that has that improved feature.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate some additional features of a nasal strip 50that has an end tab 53 that can be placed at either or both ends of thenasal strip 50, a central section 51 that is free of any adhesive, and aright end section 52R that has an adhesive covering 52RA on its interiorsurface. The tab 53 is in the general shape of a semi-annulus having anoutside radius R and an inside radius r. There can be some curvature ofthe inside border of the semi-annulus tab 53 where it meets the outerboundary of the right end section 52R as shown in FIG. 8. The width ofthe semi-annulus tab is given by R-r. A typical maximum radius R of thesemi-annulus tab 53 is shown in FIG. 8 and it is equal to the one halfthe, width W of the nasal strip 50. The minimum value of the radius Rwould be approximately W/5. Therefore, the range of the value of R wouldlie between W/2 and W/5. Typical values of the width of the semi-annulustab 53 would be a value for R-r that would be between 1 and 4 mm

There is a great advantage in the design of the tab 53 of FIGS. 8 and 9in that it has an opening 54 through which the user could place his/herthumb plus an opposing finger on that same hand to readily grab thenasal strip 50 for easy removal of the nasal strip 50 from his/her nose.No other nasal strip has that advantageous means for the easy removal ofthe nasal strip from that user's nose.

Although there is no angle “a” shown for the tab 53, that tab also maybe positioned at an angle between zero and 90 degrees relative to theplane of the nasal strip 50.

Various other modifications, adaptations and alternative designs are ofcourse possible in light of the teachings as presented herein. Thereforeit should be understood that, while still remaining within the scope andmeaning of the appended claims, this invention could be practiced in amanner other than that which is specifically described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A nasal strip for opening the nasal passageways,the nasal strip having features that include: an external portion thatextends for the entire length of the nasal strip, the external portionbeing formed from a flexible plastic material, the external portionhaving a central section and a left end section and a right end sectionwith the central section having a smaller width or the same width aseach end section; an adhesive coating that covers the interior surfaceof each end section of the external portion of the nasal strip with thecentral section not having an adhesive coating on its interior surface;and a non-adhesive tab that extends in a generally outward directionfrom an external boundary of either one or both end sections of thenasal strip, the tab being attached to one or both of the right and leftend sections so as to facilitate the removal of the nasal strip from theuser's nose; wherein the tab is in the general form of a semi-annulushaving an outside radius R and an inside radius r where the outsideradius R has a length that is between ½ to ⅕ the width of the endsections of the nasal strip.
 2. The nasal strip as recited in claim 1where said tab extends at an angle “a” from the plane of the nasal stripwherein the angle “a” is within the approximate range of 0-90 degrees.3. The nasal strip of claim 2 where the angle “a” is approximately 30+20degrees from the plane of the nasal strip.
 4. The nasal strip of claim 1where the semi-annulus inner radius r and the semi-annulus outsideradius R define the semi-circular tab width of R-r that is within theapproximate range of 1.0 and 4.0 mm.
 5. The nasal strip of claim 1 wherethe total length of the nasal strip including the non-adhesive tabs isapproximately 8 cm.
 6. The nasal strip of claim 1 where the width of theend sections of the nasal strip is approximately 2 cm.
 7. The nasalstrip of claim 1 where a mark or an opening is placed at the center ofthe central section of the nasal strip for placement of the usersfingers to help guide the user in centering the central section of thenasal strip onto the center of the bridge of the nose to equalize thelifting torque on each nostril.